Chasing the Wind
by ICan'tThinkOfACleverUsername
Summary: Kimiko had never felt like she belonged. No one understood what it meant to live her entire life having to hide a huge part of her identity. When she heard that the Avatar—an airbender— had returned, a spark of hope filled her. Maybe she isn't as alone as she believed.
1. Shocking Discovery

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Chapter One: Shocking Discovery

"Kimiko, get down from there!" Jia shouted loudly to her youngest child, who was climbing up a tall tree. The small girl was more than halfway up and made no move to stop. "Kimi, you are going to fall and break your leg! You better get down here right now before I make your father go up there after you!"

It was a harmless threat to the girl. She knew her father was not home from the market yet and could do nothing whatsoever to stop her. If anything, it only made the girl move faster.

"But I'm almost at the top, Mama! I've never made it that high before!" Kimiko was full of excitement. For years she had stared at the tall tree in the field behind her house and wished she could see the world from that point of view. Today was the day she was finally going to reach the top.

Kimi had always wanted to fly in the sky, like an eagle hawk or a pigeon duck. She wanted to feel the wind blow her short dark hair around her round face and soar through the sky. She felt this way since she could remember. It was an unreachable dream, but it was what Kimiko craved.

"Oh, Kimiko, I am going to feed you to the hog monkeys if you fall out of that tree!" Concern was written all over Jia's face. Her daughter had always been a free spirit, but she had never put herself in danger like this. Kimiko also wasn't listening to her mother, which didn't normally happen as well. She placed her hand upon her swollen stomach and wished she was not pregnant so she could climb up after her daughter. Without turning away from the tree, she addresses her eldest child. "Huang, go see if your father is back yet. If not, run and get him. He should be here soon."

Nodding in understanding, Huang immediately turned and ran around to the front of the house. Luckily, he hadn't had to run down the road at all. His father, Shen, had just dismounted their ostrich horse. "Papa, Kimi's gone crazy! She won't listen to Mama and come back down the big tree in the backfield," Kimi's older called to their father while he ran toward him. Huang was panting heavily when he arrived at his father's side.

Shen was a well-known earthbender throughout the small village of Xiao Yan. His job was to create and upkeep the houses with his earthbending. He also helped keep the roads clear and smooth. There were not many earthbenders left in the town since many had been drafted to fight in the war against the Fire Nation. Only Shen and two others remained. Rono was an elderly man who could barely get around anymore. His leg was injured during the war and he had to use a cane to get around. The last earthbender was Huang, who was still only a child at the age of ten. Shen was teaching him whenever he had time, but they had only just begun lessons. The only reason Shen wasn't fighting for the war was that he was too young when the Earth Kingdom came around the last time for soldiers. It was his wife Jia's biggest fear that they would return again and take him away.

"Come on, Papa! Kimi's gonna get hurt if we don't hurry!" Huang screamed while pulling on his father's large, rough hand. Shen didn't waste another second before taking off. He hoped he got there before his little girl was hurt.

Kimiko had only one more branch to climb before she was officially at the top of the tree. Her heart was racing. She was almost there. Her small hand extended to the thin branch and then she pulled herself up to the very top of the tree. A huge grin overtook her face when she popped out above the leafy green canopy. A soft breeze touched her cheeks before moving her short, pitch black hair out of her sky blue eyes. The feeling was amazing. Kimi had never felt this way in her entire life seven and a half years of living.

Kimiko had never been far from her home, which was on a hill a little ways away from the market square in town. Her mother and father had taken her into the small village only a few times with her brother. She had never really seen a view like this before. The sun was beginning to set, which painted the sky a beautiful array of orange, yellow, and red. Kimi could also see the entire village of Xiao Yan as well. Looking behind her, Kimiko could see her family's cozy home and beside that was the barn where her father kept the ostrich horse, turkey ducks, and even a few koala sheep that were raised for wool. Another smile lit up the girl's face when she saw her father and brother running toward her.

"Papa! Huang! Look, I finally made it to the top!" Kimi was bouncing with excitement from her accomplishment. The little girl leaned forward to look down at her mother. "Mama, do you see this? I made it all the way to the top!"

"Kimiko, please come down here now. I don't want you to fall and get hurt!" Jia's voice rang out loudly up to her daughter.

Before a response could come out of her daughter's mouth, a loud crack resonated through the field. A sense of dread filled everyone in the surrounding area as the tree branch supporting Kimiko's weight snapped in half. Her small hands tried to grab onto another part of the tree, but the break happened so suddenly.

"Kimi!" Jia screeched as she watched her youngest child fall from such a high distance. Helplessness was all she could feel because she was not able to bend an element to help save the girl. Shen was still too far away to catch her with his earthbending and Huang froze with fear. He didn't think his little sister could survive at such a high fall.

Everything felt as if it was happening in slow motion to Kimiko. Adrenaline filled her tiny body as the wind rushed past her face. A few branches scraped against her skin, but she didn't care as all she saw was the ground moving closer to her face. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. The girl put her hands out in front of her as if it would help slow her down, but it was futile.

Kimi closed her eyes. She couldn't help but allow one thought crossed her mind. _Was this what if felt like to fly?_

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.

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When it felt like she should have hit the ground all ready, Kimi's eyes opened once more. What she saw caused her to go into shock. She was floating in the air! Her hands had created whirls of wind that held her above the tall blades of grass that were just brushing her stomach.

Suddenly, the air stilled and Kimiko was touching land again.

"Oh my goodness, Kimi!" the girl's mother shouted after she snapped out of her own shock and crouched down next to her daughter. Jia grabbed Kimiko and pulled her into an awkward hug around her large stomach. "Never do that again. You could have gotten hurt or even died. Promise me that you won't climb that tree ever again!"

Kimi wrapped her own arms around her mother and returned her hug. She didn't really understand why she was so upset still. Not a hair on her little head was harmed. But she figured it was better to appease her mama for now. "It's okay, Mama. I won't climb that tree again."

"Oh, thank the spirits," her mother muttered into her hair before releasing her child. She gave a watery smile to Kimi and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

What her mother didn't know was that Kimiko didn't have any plans to stop. She had the greatest rush of her entire life. She was basically flying! Sure, she wasn't going to climb that tree, but there were more than one tree that surrounded her home. Kimi just had to make sure that her mother and father weren't around when she tested out this new skill she had just discovered. It might not happen soon, but someday Kimiko would once again return to the treetops. Maybe she could even figure out how to fly like she always wanted. After all, she could float in midair. .

"Kimiko!" Shen called as he arrived at the two's side. Huang was not far behind him either. "What were you thinking doing something so dangerous? And did you just airbend?" He was thoroughly confused, but glad that his little girl was safe. He knelt down and pulled her into a hug of his own.

"Airbend? What's that? Is it like how you and Huang can earthbend?" Kimiko asked her parents inquisitively. It was almost disturbing how unaffected she was by the traumatizing event that had just took place before the rest of her family.

Shen gave her a small smile after exchanging a look with his wife, "Kind of, but it's different. There are four elements that can be bent; fire, earth, water, and air. Your brother and I can bend earth." He then tapped the ground with his hand and a little rock shot out of the ground at Huang, who dodged it easily with a tiny laugh. "Waterbenders live in the north and south poles and firebenders are mostly from the Fire Nation. The Air Nomads used to have temples all around."

"Used to?" Huang asked in confusion. He had placed himself next to his mother, who happily wrapped an arm around him. "What happened to the nomads and their temples?"

Jia frowned deeply, "The Fire Nation attacked them many years ago. There aren't any more Air Nomads left. My grandmother—your great-grandmother—was born in the Western Air Temple, but she left when she was young to travel and fell in love with a member of the Earth Kingdom—your great-grandfather. My mother was an airbender as well, but she died when I was born. We figured the line died out when I didn't have the ability to airbend. It seems that we were wrong."

Kimiko didn't like the answers her parents were giving her. "Does that mean I am the only airbender left then? Are there others like me?"

Both the adults share a troubled glance before turning back to their child. "Well, there is the Avatar, the master of all four elements. I'm sure he would know all about airbending, but—"

"Then he can teach me!" Kimi shouts excitedly, interrupting her father.

"No, honey, I'm sorry, but the Avatar has not been seen in decades. No one knows where he is hiding or if he is even around anymore." Jia tried to let her daughter down gently, but the disappointment was obvious.

"Well, I'm gonna find him one day so he can teach me airbending!" Kimiko determined fiercely while standing up. "I'll practice by myself until I can go and find this Avatar!"

Jia sighed and placed her hand on Kimi's shoulder. "Maybe when you're older, Kimiko, but for now you need to understand something." The woman's eyes became steely as she continued on. "When the Fire Nation attacked the airbenders almost one hundred years ago, a war as struck between all of the remaining nations. The Fire Lord wants to control all of the nations, but the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes refuse to give in to a man that would attack such a peaceful nation purely for power. My mother was hiding her entire life because the Fire Nation wanted to exterminate all of the airbenders to make sure that the avatar is defeated. If they found you, they would take you away from us. This means that under no circumstance are you allowed to practice airbending anywhere other than the safety of your home, okay? You mean everything to your family and we don't want to lose you."

Kimiko looked between her mother, father, and Huang before dropping her head in defeat. She didn't want to cause them any worry and if that meant hiding her bending to everyone except her family, then she would do just that. "I understand, Mama." But nothing was going to stop her from training herself hard. Maybe one day there would be a time when she could openly bend without fear.

Jia and Shen smiled down at their daughter, glad that she knew the severity of her abilities. "That's our little Kimi. Now, let's all head inside. It's about time for dinner." Shen picked up Kimiko and grabbed Huang's hand while Jia took hold of the other.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. All Kimiko could think about was that exhilarating feeling she felt when she was falling and used her airbending. One day Kimi was going to experience that feeling again.

 **AN: Well, here is the first chapter! I'll try to update this story as frequently as possible. Please leave a review to tell me what you think!**


	2. Call to Action

Chapter Two: Call to Action

It had been more than four years since Kimiko had first discovered her airbending and much had changed over such a short amount of time. Instead of a small, little girl, Kimi was now taller and more filled out. She had just celebrated her twelfth birthday. Her previously long, straight black hair was now cut just past her chin and a set bangs laid above her dark eyebrows.

Jia had had her third child and second son, Najun. So far he had not shown signs of either earthbending or airbending, but Shen was convinced he would be another earthbender because of his strong will and unbreakable stubbornness. He would be four years old in two months.

Huang had begun accompanying Shen to work as well. He was now fifteen years old, as his birthday was during the last full moon, which was old enough to help out. He had also completed most of his earthbending training. This was only another reason why the boy was able to aid his father. The two were able to keep up with the demand of building now that the work could be done at a faster pace. This lead to more free time for Shen to be home with his family.

Since Huang was now off with Shen every day, Kimiko had taken over her brother's old chores. She now was in charge of the animals that her family raised and also helped out with her mother's garden. Every morning Kimi tended to the abundant amount of animals back in the barn behind their house. This included collecting the turkey duck eggs, milking the goat cows, and shearing the koala sheep when necessary. When the girl wasn't busy outside, she would also help her mother cook dinner and occasionally watch Najun, her little brother. Every week Kimi or Jia would travel down the hill to town and sell their leftover products at the market for some extra coins.

Right now Kimiko had just finished her daily chores and was taking a break out back. Over the years, her airbending had gotten much better, especially considering there was no one to teach her. Kimi could do many basic moves now, like creating a sphere of air or air punches and kicks. She even could make thin blades of air that were powerful enough to cut blades of grass and put deep gouges in rocks. Her greatest accomplishment yet was making a vortex of air around herself, which allowed her to hover in the air or push herself up to out of reach places. Many of her moves were inspired from watching her father and brother earthbend. Although she didn't know any master airbenders, she did know some earthbenders. While she was not sure of what she was doing half the time, Kimi was positive she was on her way to becoming a strong bender. Not that she could really use it in front of others. The Fire Nation believed all of the airbenders dead and wouldn't like to discover that they missed one.

She had read all the books she could find on the Air Nomads (not that there were many) when she first found out she could bend and discovered that they were very spiritually connected to their element. Kimi had even dabbled in meditation to try and create a deeper spiritual bond and her ancestors. Although she was unsure at first, she found meditating a good way of relaxing and centering her chi. This is what Kimiko was doing before her brother interrupted.

"Hey, Kimi!" Huang shouted from behind his little sister as he ran up to her side. She smiled up at him as he sat down on the grass next to her. Huang was now a young man. He now had a good layer of muscle built up, but still had a few childish remnants, like the playful glint in his dark eyes half hidden by the long, dark hair he refused to get trimmed much to the annoyance of his mother. "Papa and I finished up early today, so I figured we could have a rematch!"

A smile graced the younger child's lips. "Really? Are you too big of a sore loser to accept defeat from your little sister?" Kimi's blue eyes sparked when she glanced over at Huang.

"No, of course not!" he answered with his arms crossed. The teenage boy glanced away from his sister and pursed his lips before continuing. "I just figured you needed some more practice."

Yesterday Kimiko and Huang were sparring and it was the first time that Kimi had ever outdone her brother when they used their bending. Huang had taught his little sister how to fight without her bending a few years ago in case she ever needed to defend herself in public. Afterall, she surely couldn't use her airbending. It was only recently, after Huang deemed Kimi good enough at hand-to-hand combat, that they begun battling with their bending. This was probably why Kimiko had excelled so much with her airbending recently. It was much more fun to practice if she had no idea what was coming her way. Also, it made her have to think outside the box more to counter an attack if she was forced to retaliate instead of practicing forms.

"Sure! I was just teasing you, Huang." Kimi knocked her elbow into her brother's side before bouncing to her feet. "But I'm still gonna beat you!"

Huang tossed her a smirk before kicking his foot out while he flipped to his feet. Kimi felt the earth moving beneath her toes and jumped with the momentum high into the air. She twisted her body while in the air as she soared over the top of her brother's head and landed on the ground behind him. Kimiko kicked and punched streams of air at Huang, but he was quick enough to dodge them all and bend a large boulder her way. The girl rolled to the side only to have to duck away from another rock that came her way. A back and forth pattern continued for a while before Huang finally knocked her down.

"Come on, Kimi! Is that all you got?" Huang taunted before launching small spikes of earth at her again, not giving her a chance to rest.

Grinding her teeth, Kimiko got to her feet yet again and stopped the spikes with a large, overpowered burst of air that knocked back the spikes as well as her brother. She took this opportunity to run at him with accelerated speed and then switched to hand-to-hand combat. It almost looked like Kimi would best her brother, but she wasn't prepared when Huang blocked her high kick and used his earthbending to pull her other foot out from under her. Kimiko ended up falling hard on her back and stared up at her brother's smirking form.

"Gotcha again," Huang chirped before holding a hand out to his sister.

Kimi couldn't hold back a small smile as she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up to her feet. "I almost had you."

"In your dreams, little Kimi. Maybe another day." He then pulled her into his side and nuzzled the palm of his hand into her head, messing up her hair.

"Hey!" the girl shouted before pulling away from him with an elbow to his gut. She then fixed her hair before muttering, "Don't forget I beat you last week!"

"Maybe I let you win," the elder boy said mischievously as he began heading back toward the house. "Now come on, Kimi. I'm sure lunch will be done soon. The sun past half way now."

Kimiko pursed her lips at his back before following after him. Surely he didn't let her win last week on purpose. Huang was just being a sore loser and couldn't admit defeat or his pride would be destroyed. Like he would ever pass up the chance of rubbing his sister's face in his win count. "Whatever you want to believe, Huang."

"Kimiko! Huang! Lunch is going to get cold if you two keep fooling around back there!" Jia shouted from the door of the house. Their mother's bright blue eyes sparked as she watched her children. Little did they know that she was watching her two kids battle against each other. Jia was happy that they had grown so much over the years, but she was also saddened that her babies were becoming adults.

The two kids waste no time heading for the kitchen. Their mother's cooking was something that the two could never tire of and tonight she had made their favorite, vegetable filled dumplings, steamed tofu, and rice for dinner and a peach fruit pie for later. This was an old recipe that Jia had learned from her grandmother. Airbenders supposedly made the best desserts.

"Now we just need your father. Huang, do you know how long he will be?" Jia ushered her children to the table to sit down. Najun was already sitting at the table. His small hand was reaching forward toward a dumpling. His mother slapped his hand away lightly and gave him a stern look. The youngest son just pouted and crossed his arms impatiently.

"Papa isn't back yet? We finished up early today, so he sent me back ahead of him. He said he was gonna finish cleaning up old man Chen's yard before following himself and that should have only taken a few minutes." Huang's mouth fell into a small frown. It wasn't normal for his father to take this long, especially if it was before lunch time.

Jia's brow furrowed in worry, but she gave her kids a meek smile. She didn't want to worry them. "Well, let's just start then. I'm sure your father will be here soon—"

Suddenly, the front door burst open. Shen had finally arrived home. He was panting hard, like he had just ran the entire way here. Jia turned around with a smile to greet her lovely husband only to frown at his tense expression.

"What's wrong?" his wife asked worriedly as she fluttered over to his side. "Did something happen?"

Shen pulled Jia into his side for a long hug and kissed the top of her head. He figured it was best to get the news out fast. "The Earth Kingdom soldiers stopped into town when I was on my way home. They are recruiting more people for the front lines again."

Jia gasped and leaned into Shen's chest. Tears were flowing down her face, wetting the dark green shirt that he wore. She immediately knew were this was going. "No, this can't be happening."

"I have to leave tonight," Shen muttered sadly. He wrapped both arms around his sobbing wife before look at his children. The sadness in his eyes was overwhelming at the news, but Shen wasn't done yet. "And so does Huang."

Kimi was in shock. It was like freezing water had been poured over her. Her father and her brother were leaving. It could be years before she sees them again. If she ever sees them again. The war had been going on for decades, almost one hundred year. Many people had died over the years, what's to say that her family won't?

The mother only breaks down more. She was not prepared for her husband to go off to war, let alone her son. A significant portion of her family was leaving. Jia always knew that this day could come, but she still wasn't prepared for it. It broke her heart that she couldn't do anything about it. The Fire Nation was relentless and if they took over the Earth Kingdom it would be disastrous. So far their nation was able to hold them off, but they needed strong warriors to defend the territory. It was naive to think that her own family wouldn't play a part in the fighting.

The two women both turn their attention to Huang. After all, it was him who was going off to war. The boy, just barely a man, was stock still in his chair. His eyes were hard and fists were clenched. Huang didn't want to worry his family. He was strong. Crying would be a sign of weakness that an earthbender was not supposed to show. His nails dug harder into the palm of his hand. It was his duty—an honor—to serve as a soldier. But why did he feel dread and fear in the pit of his stomach?

"Huang? But he's only just turned fifteen a few weeks ago! He can't leave too!" Kimi wiped at her eyes. She couldn't believe that her brother, someone she had been close to her entire life, and her father were going away.

"Papa and Huang are leaving?" Najun mumbled from his chair at the table. "Didn't they just get home?" As he was only four years old, but he didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

His mother pulled away from Shen and rushed to pick up her youngest child. Jia gave him a watery smile and brushed a black lock of hair out of his brown eyes. "Yes, Jun, your papa and brother are going to go on a long trip to help the Earth King beat the Fire Nation."

Najun frowned. He didn't like the idea of not seeing his family. "But they are gonna come back soon, right?"

Shen let out a small sigh and walked around the table to Najun. "Don't worry, Jun. I promise that I'll see you again. I don't know if it will be soon, but I swear I will be back. I couldn't go on without seeing my little man."

The little boy nodded and gave his father a stern look, "You better, or I'll make sure Kimi blows you into the river again!"

Laughter fell out of his parents' mouths and his siblings couldn't help but smile at Najun's antics. Everyone brushed their tears away and sat down around the table. Dinner was cold now, much to Jia's displeasure, but it didn't matter anymore. The happy atmosphere had vanished. A deep heaviness weighed down on the group that even the idea of peach fruit pie couldn't lift. This would be the last family meal for a very long time. The meal dragged on, no one wanting to face the finality of the situation yet.

"I guess we should get going now. Huang, get what you need and then say goodbye to your mother and siblings. There are still some hours left in the day, so I'm they plan to make it to the next town before sundown." Shen finally grunted out after he wiped a spot of peach filling off his chin.

After gathering up all the essentials, Huang went to find Kimi. She had boarded herself up into her small bedroom. Kimiko absolutely refused to witness her father and older brother walk away and possibly never return. He saw that she was curled up in the corner on her bed and sat down next to her.

"I'm going to miss you, Kimii," Huang forced out after a sniffle before wiping at his face. The tears he refused to let fall were finally making their way down his cheeks.

Kimi looked over at her brother. He was her best friend. Since she was an airbender Kimiko hardly ever interacted with others her age. When she was young, she didn't have very good control over her bending Her mother was scared that she would have an accident in public, so she rarely let Kimiko out in town for a long time. Although she has improved much recently, the idea of meeting new people was daunting. Kimi had Huang anyway. Their close age had made them inseparable, but now that was going to have to change. Huang was leaving and neither of them knew how to deal with it.

"It's going to be okay, Huang. I'm sure you'll come back soon. The war had been going on long enough, it's bound to be over soon, right?" Kimi choked out before reaching over wiping the salty tears off his face. She then pulled him in for an embrace. She definitely was going to miss him too.

Huang usually wasn't one for hugs, but he squeezed his sister tightly into his side. "I promise I'll write whenever I can, okay?"

"You better," Kimiko uttered into his chest. She pulled away and wiped her tears one last time. She wasn't going to cry anymore.

"Huang," Shen called from the door. Both kids turned their attention to their father. "Your mother and Najun probably want a hug as well."

Reluctantly, Huang stood and made his way past his father, who ruffled his hair when he walked past.

Shen then made his way into the room. Kimi took the time to examine him, as if it would be the last time she ever saw him. Her father was a tall, broad shouldered man. He had warm hazel eyes, which both her brothers had inherited, and long black hair with streaks of silver pulled back into a knot. A few wrinkles had found a home on his face over the years. Right now, a sad smile graced his lips as he looked down at his only daughter.

"Are you going to be okay?" her father asked quietly. He had never been a man of many words, but when he did speak, what he said meant a lot.

In all honestly, Kimiko could have laughed at that moment. He father was going to the front lines of a war and he was concerned about her well being. Of course she wasn't okay, but she would be. "It's not me you should be worried about, Papa."

Shen lowered himself next to his daughter. "Oh, I will always worry about you, hon. After all, you're my little girl." He then pulled her in for a one-armed hug and leaned his head against hers. Shen smiled when he saw the corners of Kimi's lips turn upward. "Now, your brother and I are leaving, Kimiko, and that means that you're in charge. Help out your mother and keep an eye on Najun. He's still so young and has a lot of growing up to do."

"Of course, Papa. I'll hold down the fort until you and Huang come back," Kimi responded confidently. One thing she was sure of was that she could easily help out her mother and little brother.

Shen nodded and stood up from the bed. "I'm counting on it, Kimi." he then headed toward the door, but hesitated when he got to the hall. An almost unnoticable frown graced his face as he turned back toward his daughter. "Never forget that I love you, okay?"

At those words, Kimi's heart soared. Her father was not usually an emotional man. "I know, Papa. I love you too."

With a nod, Shen turned and left down the hall. Kimiko would never forget the image of her father turning and walking away from her. An uneasy feeling settled in her stomach despite how much she wished it away. She couldn't shake the feeling of how much this seemed like a goodbye instead of a see you later.

 **Author's Note: Well, here is the next chapter! This is the second chapter about Kimiko before the show begins. There are a few more until the show starts, but it helps give a background on who Kimi is as a person and how life has affected her. I can't wait to get to the plot of the show. I hope everyone enjoyed and please leave a review! So far I haven't got any and I dunno how people are feeling about things.**

 **Please review! -Laura**


	3. Hope Restored

Chapter Three: Hope Restored

Another two had passed since Shen and Huang had left as soldiers to defend the Earth Kingdom from the increasing threat from the Fire Nation. Although the war had been going on for many decades, signs of weakness had been showing more and more throughout the cities. Many cities on the coast of the Earth Kingdom had become occupied by enemy forces, which gives better opportunities to take more inland locations.

Kimiko's village is no exception to the hardships of war. Traded goods, like certain spices and clothes, were very expensive now. More people were having trouble paying the high prices of food, as more and more of the workers were busy fighting for the Earth Kingdom. Jia did the best she could to earn money for the family by selling woven cloth she would make out of the koala sheep wool. The extra eggs and milk from the other animals were also sold, as were some of the herbs that both Kimi and Jia had begun to grow right before Shen and Huang departed from them. Also, both men sent whatever money they could spare back home. The money was enough to buy the basic necessities and keep on living, but if something happened to the animals, then things would become increasingly hard. Taxes were also rising steadily as of late. Each passing day Jia would grow more worried about their state of living.

"Mama, look at this drawing I made! It's a picture of Papa and Huang!" The boy's light blue eyes were shining. He looked very proud of himself. "Maybe we can give it to them when they come back home."

Jia sighed quietly to herself as Najun walked up to her eagerly, his brown curls bouncing on top of his small head. He had gotten so tall over the past year. "It's beautiful, Jun. Thank you."

Since he was four years old now, Jun was more curious about where his father and brother had gone. The boy had been asking about them lately, but how does one explain war to an innocent child? Jia would just plaster a smile on her face and try easing his worries or changing, but that would only work for so long. Children have to grow up eventually. If Jia had a choice, it would be years before Najun became aware of the war. But she wasn't a fool. War makes people grow up fast. It was just Jia's job to delay the inevitable for as long as she could.

"Are you ready for lunch, Jun?" the boy's mother asked while stirring the vegetable soup she had made for the day. He bobbed his head up and down quickly and Jia smiled softly at her little boy. "Go get your sister then. She'd in the backyard."

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Kimiko laid in the tall grass underneath her favorite tall tree. The winding branches of the tree reaching toward the clear sky were above her, covered in green leaves and beautiful pink flowers. They were just beginning to fall, signifying that spring had begun to come to a close. Sunlight peeked through the dancing limbs, creating a mosaic of scattered patches of light around her. There was a warm breeze today, which was blowing the small pink petals down to the ground around the girl resting beneath the tree. Kimi closed her eyes and smiled at the gentle caress of the wind against her cheek. The soft sound of the leaves shaking against each other was relaxing and almost lulled the girl to sleep. It was a magnificently beautiful day.

"Kimi! Mama said it's time for lunch!" Najun shouted, causing his older sister to open her green eyes and push herself into an upright position. A crooked smile made its way onto her face as she watched his precious brother trample over to her clumsily up the hill where she lay. When he finally reached Kimiko, he collapsed on top of her in a warm hug.

A small chuckle fell past her lips as she grabbed her younger sibling and tickled his sides. The boy couldn't help but laugh joyfully.

"Stop it, Kimi! Please! I'm hungry and Mama has food ready!" Najun belted out between his own giggles.

"Okay, Jun, but only because you said please." Kimi reluctantly released her brother from her wrath and he shot back up onto his feet.

"Wait!" Najun called to his sister as she started to make her way down after brushing the grass off of her. "Can you carry me? It's so fun, please!"

Another grin lit up Kimiko's face as she stared into her brother's large, begging eyes. "Oh, okay! You're too cute, kid, you know that? Now, climb on."

Jun's own smile got bigger when he got what he wanted. Kimi could hardly ever say no to her little brother, especially when he gave her those eyes. He excitedly jumped up onto the elder child's back and firmly fastened his arms around her shoulders. He'll never forget the time he flew off because he wasn't holding on tight enough. Their mother almost killed them.

"Ready?" Kimi asked with uncontainable joy showing on both her and her brother's faces. When he nodded, Kimiko wasted no time taking a big run and jump off the top of the little hill, propelling herself farther and faster with her airbending.

Najun cackled happily in her ear as they flew down toward the ground near the house. He sometimes wished he could fly like his sister, but he was an earthbender like his father and brother. This was only discovered a few weeks ago when Jun was grumpy in the morning before breakfast and stomped his foot, which caused a large, cement vase in the kitchen to fly at the wall. Thankfully, no one was harmed.

Another concern was that no one knew how Najun was going to learn to control and master his bending, as both Shen and Huang were fighting the war. The only other earthbender in town was Rono, but he hardly could even bend with his permanently injured leg that was shattered during the war. He could barely walk as he is now. It is true that Kimiko did not have a master to teach her bending, but that case was very special, as there are no more airbenders around.

"I see you two finally made it in," Jia commented from the table in the corner of the room. She had placed three bowls full of soup out, one for each of them, and a small loaf of bread was in the middle for them to share. The bread was something that the mother had splurged on in the market, as baked goods usually more expensive than she could afford, but she got a good deal from the baker and earned a little extra money this week. "I hope you guys are hungry."

Kimiko smiled at Jia as she grabbed a piece of bread, "Thank you for preparing us lunch, Mama. It looks delicious."

"Mhh!" Najun hummed in agreement, his mouth already filled with food.

Jia and Kimiko both laughed after a brief shared look between the two. Happiness radiated through the room. It was times like this that the family treasured, even if half of them were missing. These are the memories they would think of when hard times came.

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"Hey, young miss! I bet would like to try this perfume, it's jasmine scented!" a shop owner called from his stand to Kimiko's right. He was a tall man with graying hair and a smile that was too large plastered on his face. When he saw that Kimi wasn't going to stop, he immediately turned to the next person on the street.

Today was Kimiko's birthday, the first day of autumn. She was fifteen years old. Her mother had sent her off with a few silver pieces to buy herself something nice while she tended to her own stand selling her handwoven wool cloths and blankets. Recently, she had acquired new plants to make brighter and bolder dyes, like bright yellows, oranges, and even a few pinks to mix in with the usual greens, whites, browns, and blacks that the Earth Kingdom citizens usually wore.

After walking past most of the stands, Kimiko didn't see much of anything she wanted. But then a glorious aroma caught her nose. Turning behind her, she saw the baker's shop. He was pulling fresh pies out of the oven, which was the culprit of the tantalizing scent. Even better than fresh pies was peach pies. They were Kimiko's absolute favorite. Although the pies weren't made by her mother (which automatically decreased the quality in her opinion), she was very tempted to buy one to share with her mother and brother as a treat. Kimi had found what she was going to buy for her birthday treat.

But the last time she had a peach pie was the day her father and brother left. She hadn't heard from them since. Kimi knew that it killed her mother to be away from her husband and first son. Najun barely remembers them as he was only two when they departed. Suddenly the sweet smell of peach pie left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Are you Kimiko of the Bao family?" a deep voice asked from behind her, pulling the girl out of her own thoughts.

Turning her head to the left, Kimi saw a boy only a year or two older than herself. He had long, black hair pulled back into a knot and gray eyes that bored down into her own green orbs. When she finally came to her senses at that fact that an actual person was actually talking to her, she blurted out a few jumbled words, "Yes, um, did you need something or...?"

"Yeah," the other teen said and then held out a scroll of parchment to her, "you got a letter and my dad said to deliver it to you since you were just out front instead of walking up to that house way up the hill later. Name's Bipin by the way. My father runs the post here."

Slowly, Kimiko reached out and grabbed the letter from the boy. She had never received one before. "Thanks, Bipin."

"Not a problem," the post boy muttered to her before rubbing the back of his neck. "So what do you do around here? I mean, I just haven't really seen you around much. Do you, like, ever leave that house of yours?"

The question throws her off. She never really spoken to people her own age. Do people normally ask such invading questions like this? When she is about to answer, she sees movement behind Bipin's shoulder. It's a group of three other kids about her age and they were staring at her and whispering to each other. They were obviously intrigued by her presence. Kimi never really left her house unless her mother asked her to accompany her or grab some things from the market, but she never did stay to chat much with anyone. Her mother taught her everything she needed to know herself instead of sending her off to school as they were worried about Kimiko accidentally airbending in front of someone when she was little. By the time she grew up, she didn't much care for the idea of meeting new people her age. Huang was usually enough to entertain her, and even Najun after he was born. Truthfully, Kimi just wanted to spend every moment of her childhood trying to figure out airbending and now she had daily chores around the house that kept her busy.

"Oh, well, I usually just work around the house and only come down to town every once and awhile." Kimi felt very awkward. She felt as if these kids thought she was weird and different like they already judged her long ago and had been an occasional object of conversation. Especially when Bipin looked disappointed with her answer like she wouldn't sound so normal. "Well, I should get going."

"Yeah, nice to meet you." Bipin backed away from her and returned to his friends, who immediately started to question him.

Rolling her eyes, Kimi turned her back on these kids opened her letter. The contents inside were not what she was expecting.

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 _My dearest little Kimiko,_

 _I am sorry that I have not written until now. Things have been very hectic for Papa and me and I haven't really had a chance to contact you or Mama until now. The reason I am now able to write this letter is that I have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and serve under Captain Yung in Omashu. Have you heard of it? Omashu is the last stronghold city in the west of the Earth Kingdom that isn't occupied. Don't worry about Papa, he's fine; although they are separating us now. As I was promoted to lieutenant, he was already at this rank and is moving up to major already. I have no idea where he is being located, but I'm sure that we will both be safe. Nothing is more dangerous than the frontlines and we both made it out of there._

 _Although it is nice to inform you about our status, I have other very important news that you need to hear. The Avatar has returned, Kimi, and he is a master airbender_ _. News from Kyoshi Island is that he is traveling to the Northern Water Tribe to master_ _waterbending_ _nex_ _t so he can defeat the Fire Lord. This is amazing, Kimi! A real airbender_ _, maybe one you could meet and learn from. I know you keep Mama company though, and I am grateful for that, as is Papa, but maybe it's time you learned to master your own element from someone who quite possibly is the only person who understands you and what you can do._

 _Please tell Mama and Najun_ _that we both miss them very much. I hope you are doing well too, as we still have a rematch to conduct when I return home after this war. Oh, and happy birthday, Kimi! I've enclosed some extra spending money for you as well. I know it's a lot, but I'm making up for the past few that I have missed._

 _Stay safe,_

 _Huang_

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Kimiko did not know what to think. Her brother told her that the Avatar had returned? A real airbender? Finally, she felt something akin to hope at not being the last airbender to exist. She wasn't alone anymore. Kimi could hardly identify what she was feeling. She had to find this master airbender and learn from him, as he was the only one in the world that could teach her. It was like what she proclaimed to her parents years ago when she first discovered her bending. This letter was the best birthday present she had ever received.

But what was her mother going to think? It would just be her and Najun is she left to find the Avatar. She didn't want her mother to feel alone and abandoned and Jun was so young. But she might not have the chance to leave again. If the Fire Nation won the war, then she was as good as dead. If she found the Avatar, not only could he help her master airbending, but she could help him save the world.

 **Author's Note: Thank's for reading another chapter! This didn't get posted as soon as I would have liked and is a bit of a filler, but I have hashed out more of the background of the story. I still am trying to decide when Kimiko meets the gaang too, so if you guys have any input on that it would be nice. Please leave a review!**


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